Teleostei (teleosts) >
Eupercaria/misc (Various families in series Eupercaria) >
Nemipteridae (Threadfin breams, Whiptail breams)
Etymology: Scolopsis: Name from the Greek masculine noun 'skolos' meaning 'thorn' and suffix '-opsis' (from Greek feminine n. 'opsis' meaning 'aspect', 'appearance') meaning ‘thorny appearance’ presumably referring to 'les dentelures de la préopercule, en ont aussi, et même d'épineuses, aux sous-orbitaires' mentioned by Cuvier (1814) in his designation of the genus. Name ending in -'opsis' are treated as feminine according to ICZN 1999: Article 30.1.2 (Ref. 130620).
More on author: Rüppell.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Marine; reef-associated; depth range ? - 60 m (Ref. 9710). Tropical; 31°N - 29°S, 32°E - 85°E (Ref. 3810)
Indian Ocean: Red Sea, Persian Gulf and from Muscat, Oman to Delagoa Bay, Mozambique. Also from Madagascar, Sri Lanka and the Bay of Bengal.
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 31.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 9710); common length : 13.0 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 3810)
Dorsal spines (total): 10; Dorsal soft rays (total): 9; Anal spines: 3; Anal soft rays: 7. Head scales reaching forward to level of posterior nostrils. Lower limb of preopercle scaly. Antrorse (forward-directed) suborbital spine absent. Pelvic fins long, reaching to between level of anus and origin of anal fin. Axillary scale present. Color: Upper body grey, whitish below. A blue stripe joining eyes.
Found in inshore waters usually on coral reefs or sand or mud bottoms close to reefs (Ref. 30573). Feeds on crustaceans, mollusks, echinoderms and fishes (Ref. 30573).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Russell, B.C., 1990. FAO Species Catalogue. Vol. 12. Nemipterid fishes of the world. (Threadfin breams, whiptail breams, monocle breams, dwarf monocle breams, and coral breams). Family Nemipteridae. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of nemipterid species known to date. FAO Fish. Synop. 125(12):149p. Rome: FAO. (Ref. 3810)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-1)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Fisheries: minor commercial
Tools
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Estimates based on models
Preferred temperature (Ref.
123201): 24.6 - 29.2, mean 27.2 °C (based on 326 cells).
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82804): PD
50 = 0.5000 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.01175 (0.00639 - 0.02161), b=2.96 (2.81 - 3.11), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this species & Genus-body shape (Ref.
93245).
Trophic level (Ref.
69278): 3.8 ±0.56 se; based on food items.
Resilience (Ref.
120179): High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Low vulnerability (21 of 100).
Nutrients (Ref.
124155): Calcium = 51.7 [31.5, 101.8] mg/100g; Iron = 0.624 [0.303, 1.554] mg/100g; Protein = 19.1 [17.3, 20.8] %; Omega3 = 0.157 [0.095, 0.262] g/100g; Selenium = 31.1 [18.6, 55.6] μg/100g; VitaminA = 75.4 [21.9, 216.5] μg/100g; Zinc = 1.15 [0.80, 1.64] mg/100g (wet weight);
